Are you working on getting your dog off leash trained? Does your dog listen well on leash, but does not listen at all off leash? If so, short leashes, or short tabs, are an amazing tool when trying to transition away from the need to use leash and collar!
Why use a short leash for training my dog?
We love using shorts tabs as a way to advance our dogs' obedience and in home behaviors! Short leashes, or short tabs, are an excellent training tool that serves as a halfway point from relying on the leash to no leash with control over your dog!
How do you use a short tab?
The first step when trying to employ the use of a short leash is to make sure your dog is doing extremely well in whatever situation you're working on with a leash on. With a standard 6' or 8' leash you are going to have far more control, and your dog is much more likely to behave better because of it. If you are still struggling with a normal length leash, you're not ready to use a short leash.
If you're having trouble getting your dog to heel properly and struggling with leash reactivity, click here for a free quote!
Once you are ready, switch out your normal leash for the short tab. From here it's just a matter of working on all the obedience commands you normally do. With the reduced weight of the short leash compared to a full leash dragging, your dog will feel much more freedom, while still feeling like they are still a little under your thumb.
This is a great way to set up training where you will usually see the dogs consistency decline a bit. By sticking with the training and grabbing the short tab when you need to give corrections you will see your dog sharpen up quickly, and get closer and closer to off leash!
What types of short leashes are there?
It's important to note, that when we are talking about short leashes, they were typically shorter than you will normally find in stores. The shortest leash most stores will have available are usually two or three feet in length. This would defeat our purpose, and possibly even be dangerous if the leash had a wrist loop that could catch the dogs leg. At Suburban K9 we've developed our own custom short leashes made to give you something easy to grab when you need it, but short enough that they do not impair the dogs movement.
Leather Short Leash
The first short leash we discuss in thus video is a leather short leash! These are perfect for majority of dogs when it comes to advancing obedience, or working on your dog's naughty behaviors! Keep in mind, some dogs do enjoy the taste of leather. If you dog is prone to chewing, then a leather short tab may not be best for your dog! Leather short tabs are also a little heavy and long. This means breeds such as Corgis, Dachshunds, and Bull Dogs, are far better off using a different type of short leash!
Braided Wire Short Leash
In this video, we also cover our made in house Wire Short Tab! These are great as they are chew proof, while providing all the same benefits as the leather short leashes. These are a little shorter than our leather short tabs. They come with a convenient loop that you can easily grab if you need to guide of correct your dog.
Conclusion
Remember, short tabs should only be used on dogs who have shown progress in their training. If they struggle, using a leash is best as it gives you the most control! If you follow a correct proofing plan for commands and in home behaviors, the short tab will be a great choice to hep aid your dog's transition to being able to listen leash free!
